Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-01-21

REAU-THE RECoMMENDATIoNs APPROVED BY THE
SECRETARY or WAR.
Applications to succeed Gen. Hazen as chief sig.
nal officer Of the army have not been received In
any number as yet but the probability IS that
forty colonels, with no telling how many majors
captains. and civilians will soon be bringing to
bear all the influence possible to secure the promo
tion to brigadier. The chances are that they
Will all be doomed to disappointment, and that
the weather bureau will be transferred to a civil
department Of the government and the signal Ser.
vice as such, probably abolished. The Secretary
of War, in his annual report Of 1885, strongly
recommended the transfer OF the weather bureau
and 1t tsexpected that he will soon address letter
to the President reiterating the recommendation
that the attention of Congress may be called
to the matter, with view OF securing
indicated that he hecontempates such action, but he
has approved q very strong report on the subject
by Gen. Sheridan. The report was made before
Gen. Hazen'S death, and there is even more prOba-
bility now than before that action will be taken
upon the lieutenant generals recommendations.
GEN. HAzENs PLAN OF REORGANIZATION.
The report was On proposed plan OF reorganiza-
tion Of the signal service In the form OF a draft
of a bill to be introduced in Congress, submitted
to the Secretary Of War by Gen. Hazen some time
ago, and printed In THE STAR at the time, which
was referred TO Gen. sheridan for consideration.
1t contemplated the establishment OF the signal
partment, the transfer OF the sixteen ueutenants
OF the signal corps to the line OF the army, Htth
rank from the respeetve dates ;, Of their Pns
officers OF the army for signal service duty.
GEN. sHER1DAN's REPORT
to the Secretary Of War says:
81 have carefully examined the draft and am
constrained to say that am unaterably opposed
to any scheme which cOntemplateS the cOntinu-
ance OF the signal service as a bureau and makes
1t a part OF the regular military establishment.
a civil nature devoted to the beneft OF commerce
ard agriculture and there is no apparent reason
why the department OF government having charge
OF such matters should not also include the meter
illogical branches that this plan proposes to re-
tain, eliminate these from the bureau and it has
nothing left to sustain this scheme"
SIGNAL SERVICE NOT NEEDED.
1--WE do not need any instruction In military Sig
mailing other than that which now exists at nearly
every garr1soned post in the army, and which can
be continued as well, II not better without than
with bureau, and certainly at much less cost ~
AS regards the maintenance Of telegraph lines
lnent the signal service Is supposed to maintain
andoperste all military telegraph lines oWn1d BY
the government; yet when new me1s % Be con:
structed or an old One repaired the troops are
almost invariably called upon to perform the labor
while the Quartermaster sdepartment Is almost as
sSe sSnsi serVce furns6ine
eralEonly portion OF the materials and a few
experts in telegraphy to superintend the construc
tion or repairs"
COMPLAINTS OF THE SERVICE.
In the past there have been many complaints
from officers as to the unreliabil1ty OF telegraph
lines operated by the signal service, and serious
controversies to the prejudice OF the military ser.
vice hate arisen owing to the dual position In
Which Omcers in charge OF lines and operators at
stations are placed when serving under the orders
OF department commanders as well as the orders
Of the signal officer.
The proposition submitted to transfer the six
teen second Of the signal to the
officers Of the army for signal service duty is Gen.
eral Sheridan says
"a MOST REMARKABLE PROVISION,
to say the least. The lleutenants now in the sig
nal corps are according to a report OF board of
professors OF their own corps, with single excep-
ton Incompetent to perform all the duties OF act
ing signal officers, and to transfer them to the line
OF the army, With rank from the respective dates
OF their present commissions, would be fragrant
e 70 nny ns ose ana
the rontfer, by giving the oficers so transferred
who are probably not by education, and certainly
not BY experience, qualified to command and care
for troops in active service, superior rank. There
are already Too many officers OF the
line detached from their appropriate du-
ties with their: respective COMPANIES for the
sirable to maintain the signal service for the ben
efit Of commerce and agriculture this whole
scheme for its reorganization as bureau OF the
War department and its perpetuation as part OF
the army Is, In my opinion unnecessary and un-
wise, as it viii add largely to the appropriations
for the Of the rmy without any
IL 1t Is necessary that this bureau shall have
charge Of all observations and reports by tele-
graph, signal or otherwise, announcing the proba-
bic approach and force OF storms for the benefit
OF commerce and agriculture OF the United States,
/ unhesitatingly recommend its transfer to one OF
the civil departments OF the government"
Secretary OF War"